‘Irfān (Arabic/Persian/Urdu: عرفان, also spelt Irfaan/Erfan) literally means knowing/awareness. The term is often translated as gnosis, however it also refers to Islamic mysticism. Those with the name are sometimes referred to as having an insight into the unseen. Irfan is also a Muslim given name, usually used for male persons.
The concept of Irfan overlaps considerably with Sufism in both meaning and content, however Sufism in general, can deviate from the basic teachings of Islam. In Twelver Shiism on t...